Album Of The Week: SZA - Ctrl

With the sweetest of sounds coming from the speakers of the Ticket Arena office it would be mighty selfish of us to keep them to ourselves, so we thought we’d let you in on what our staff use to soundtrack a hard day’s work. Now a weekly feature with the intent of bringing your attention to wonderful new sounds every Tuesday, our Album Of The Week looks at releases from the best in the game, whether fresh new acts about to hit the big time or established artists reminding the world of their continued talent. Simply put, it’s just the best in music that we think you should hear.

We know what you’re thinking - SZA’s debut album isn’t a recent release at all. The singer has since released a string of collaborations and other new material while this 2017 debut has won a string of awards since it was unleashed onto the world, but the week that saw this album go platinum, is coincidentally also the week that celebrates powerful women and their successes as International Women’s Day falls on Thursday 8th March - and so, here we are celebrating the achievements of a complete superstar and the unprecedented success of her debut album.

The everlasting and enduring quality of Ctrl is something incredibly special. The stripped back and naked nature of the tracks, not only in the lo-fi production and minimal elements that complete them, but also within the honest and sometimes vulnerable lyrics telling stories of love, loss and life from the perspective of a female is a raw and rare listening experience for anyone. Not only is this album a musical masterpiece, with SZA’s undoubtable vocal talents, features from the likes of Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar and production skills being borrowed from high calibre artists like Pharrell, the relatable lyrics told from an unapologetic woman are the dose of realness that the music industry - as well as the wider patriarchal society - needed. Listen to SZA’s Ctrl below via Spotify.